Key facts
- AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund accused the domestic intelligence service (BfV) of political direction.
Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, accused the domestic intelligence service (BfV) of being politically directed to spy on opposition parties. The AfD views the upcoming state election as a step towards national power, aiming for an absolute majority.
The accusations highlight escalating tensions between Germany's far-right AfD party and state security services, potentially impacting the upcoming Saxony-Anhalt election and raising concerns about the future of democratic institutions in Germany.
Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD candidate for state premier in Saxony-Anhalt, accused Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), of being politically directed by the ruling conservatives to spy on political opponents. Siegmund stated the agency is being 'misused to crack down on the opposition' and that the AfD aims to return the BfV to its core remit. The upcoming September 6 state election in Saxony-Anhalt is highly anticipated, with the AfD holding a significant lead and aiming for an absolute majority, which would secure their first state premier. The local AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has been designated 'far-right extremist' by the security service, a label the party views as an attempt by mainstream parties to discredit it. The AfD sees the state election as a stepping stone to national power, with Siegmund referencing a 'blue wave' starting from Saxony-Anhalt. Mainstream parties, like Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats, have rejected cooperation with the AfD and view a potential victory as a major challenge to the constitutional order, with some calling it a choice between 'centrist democracy and extremism'.
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